1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and method used to season snack food items such as potato chips. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved method of providing seasoning material to the surfaces of snack food items which results in exceptional uniformity in the distribution of the seasoning material among the individual snack food items.
2. Prior Art
Many snack foods known today contain seasoning of one form or another on their surfaces. Typical examples include potato chips with barbecue, sour cream and onion, cheese and like seasoning. Corn chips and other snack foods are also similarly seasoned. The distribution of such seasoning greatly affects not only the product quality, but also the economy of manufacturing.
It is known in the prior art to provide for the automated seasoning of snack food items such as potato chips, corn chips and the like. One conventional seasoning apparatus includes a rotating tumbler drum which causes the snack food items to tumble as the seasoning material is dropped onto them from a seasoning dispenser. The rotating tumbler drum has an opening at one end for the introduction of snack food items and an opening at the other end through which the snack food items can be discharged and means can be introduced into the interior of the drum for dispensing seasoning material onto the snack food items. The end of the drum through which the snack food items are introduced is elevated with respect to the discharge end so that the snack food items are moved by gravitation toward the discharge end. Typically, the drum contains a plurality of flights or projections which extend inwardly from the interior surface of the drum wall along at least a portion of the drum length. As the snack food items move along the length of the interior of the drum, the drum is rotated about its central axis. As the drum rotates, portions of the snack food items are caught by the flights or projections and carried upwardly along the side of the drum until the angle of the flights is such that the snack food items cascade over the flights, resulting in a tumbling action. A seasoning dispensing apparatus is typically provided which extends into the drum interior and conveys seasoning material from a hopper located outside the drum to a point inside the drum directly above the tumbling snack food items. The seasoning material is dispensed onto the tumbling snack food items in the form of a seasoning curtain. The seasoned snack food items then exit the drum through the discharge end.
While the aforementioned arrangement provides a convenient, automated method for seasoning snack food items, the distribution of seasoning material among the individual snack food items has not always been as uniform as desired. This is believed to be due to a wavelike tumbling pattern which is set up as the snack food items cascade over each flight or projection on the drum wall. This pattern causes the seasoning material to be distributed in a non-uniform manner among the individual snack food items. Accordingly, there is needed a method for seasoning snack food items which provides the convenience and automation associated with the rotating tumbler drum type device but provides a degree of uniformity of seasoning distribution not heretofore obtainable with that type of device.